Comparison

HudsonAlpha iCell vs Bacteria 3D

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HudsonAlpha iCell

Explore the inner workings of animal, plant, and bacteria cells in a 3D interactive environment. Tap on cellular components to learn their names and functions. Rotate and zoom to get a comprehensive understanding of cellular biology.

Highlights
  • 3D interactive cell models
  • Animal, plant, and bacteria cell examples
  • Tap to select and learn organelle functions
  • Rotate and zoom functionality
  • Adjustable text size and description levels
Features
Read full description

***Updated 3.6.1*** iCell now works even better on the iPhone. We have added larger text for all descriptions and included the ability to change text description levels for the iPhone as well as the iPad. iCell gives students, teachers, and anyone interested in biology a 3D view inside a cell. Included are examples of three types of cells: animal, plant, and bacteria. Learn about the various parts of the cell, which biologists, biochemists, and DNA researchers at the HudsonAlpha Institute study and use to advance the limits of biotechnology. You can use your finger to tap on parts of the cell to select and zoom in on that particular organelle. Each organelle comes with a name and a short description of its function in the cell. For a better view of each cell, hold down one finger on the screen, and drag to rotate around the cell or selected organelle. You can zoom in and out by pinching or flaring with two fingers at once. We hope you enjoy!

About

Bacteria 3D

Explore biology through interactive 3D animations of bacteria in various shapes. This app offers a dynamic learning experience with pre-set views, narration, quizzes, and VR mode. It's designed for students but engaging for all ages.

Highlights
  • Interactive 3D bacteria models
  • Rotatable and zoomable scenes
  • Predefined navigation views
  • Walk mode for exploration
  • Narrations and animations
  • Animated quizzes
  • VR mode support
Features
Read full description

Bacteria Bacteria occur in a wide range of shapes, including spheres, rods and spirals. Explore biology with our interactive 3D animations! Be actively involved in learning about biology by following the latest results of 3D animation. Our 3D scenes have been designed for students between 8 and 18 years of age but can be interesting for everyone. Available languages: English, Deutsch, Français, Español, Русский, العربية, 日本語, 中文, 한국어, Italiano, Português, Svenska, Nederlands, Norsk, Polski, Magyar With the mozaik3D App, available in the App store, you can access more than 1200 similar 3D scenes. Mozaik Interactive 3D Our fully interactive scenes can be rotated, enlarged or viewed from pre-set angles. With the predefined views, you can easily navigate through the complex scenes. Some of the 3D scenes contain a Walk mode, enabling you to explore the scene yourself. Most of our 3D scenes include narrations and built-in animations. They also contain captions, entertaining animated quizzes and other visual elements. The 3D scenes are available in several languages, which also offers an opportunity to learn and practice foreign languages. Usage and navigation Rotate the scene by dragging your finger. Zoom the scene in or out by pinching with your fingers. Pan the view by dragging with three fingers. Tap the buttons at the bottom to switch between predefined views. You can change the language and set other functions in the context menu. The context menu can be accessed by touching the bottom corners. Activate VR mode by pressing the VR goggles icon in the bottom right corner. In VR mode, tilt your head to right or left display the navigation panel.

Screenshots

HudsonAlpha iCell3 screens
Bacteria 3D4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bacteria 3D at 4.6 against HudsonAlpha iCell's 3.0. Bacteria 3D also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks). HudsonAlpha iCell's advantage is ratings volume (292 vs 58). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bacteria 3D holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HudsonAlpha iCell has 292 ratings behind it against 58, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 70% and 70% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HudsonAlpha iCell ships an update every 4 weeks, Bacteria 3D weekly. The most recent releases landed on July 27, 2026 and September 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
HudsonAlpha iCell versus Bacteria 3D: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHudsonAlpha iCellBacteria 3D
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (292 ratings)4.6 (58 ratings) — better
Positive reviews69.8% of reviews70.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings292 — better58
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.08.0
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB115 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHudsonAlpha Institute for BiotechnologyMOZAIK Education Ltd.

Customer experience

HudsonAlpha iCell

All ratings289 ratings
Positive46.4%
Neutral9.7%
Negative43.9%
Written reviews324 reviews
Positive69.8%
Neutral6.8%
Negative23.5%

Bacteria 3D

All ratings58 ratings
Positive89.7%
Neutral5.2%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative20.0%

Bugs and requests

HudsonAlpha iCell

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent crashes and app instability
  • Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
  • Missing or incorrectly labeled organelles

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more cell types (e.g. fungi, virus)
  • Provide quizzing and assessment features
  • Improve level of detail and explanations
  • Allow users to explore cell structures in more depth

Bacteria 3D

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

HudsonAlpha iCell

No in-app purchases

None

Bacteria 3D

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HudsonAlpha iCell free?
HudsonAlpha iCell is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Bacteria 3D free?
Bacteria 3D is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HudsonAlpha iCell or Bacteria 3D?
Bacteria 3D is rated higher. HudsonAlpha iCell averages 3.0 out of 5 from 292 ratings, while Bacteria 3D averages 4.6 from 58 ratings.
Do HudsonAlpha iCell or Bacteria 3D have ads?
Neither HudsonAlpha iCell nor Bacteria 3D shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HudsonAlpha iCell or Bacteria 3D?
HudsonAlpha iCell ships an update every 4 weeks, and Bacteria 3D weekly. Most recently, HudsonAlpha iCell was updated on July 27, 2026 and Bacteria 3D on September 3, 2026.

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